Homemade Gifts

A few years ago, my niece really go into cooking.  She wanted a recipe box and I decided to do one for her.  I used a tin box that reminded me of a lunch box.  It was white so I added a few embellishments to the outside, stamped recipe cards to go inside and gave it to her as a present.  She liked it a lot. 

Handmade gifts usually mean a lot to people because of the time, love and care you put into them.  So this year, our oldest daughter Heather asked me if I would make her a recipe box for her birthday.  She has really taken to cooking this past year trying new recipes and seems to enjoy it.  She needed a place to store all those yummy recipes and it just seemed like the right time to make one for her.  Since we did her birthday dinner this past Saturday, which by the way it was a build your own pizza party and was a huge hit,  I gave the box to her.  I thought I would share it with all of you today. 

 

This is a view of the top of her box.  Heather is a big Pirates of the Caribbean fan so we chose a box shaped like a treasure chest for her.  This started as a plain wood box I bought at a local craft store.  I painted the entire box a medium blue and the edges a dark blue.  I knew I would be covering the box with paper but just in case any little areas showed through I wanted there to be a color and not plain wood.  

Once the entire box was painted and dry, I took out some blue gingham paper I picked up a few months ago and a ruler and began measuring the dimensions needed for each side.  Once I had a piece cut, I would add a little repositional adhesive to the paper and put it on the box to verify I had the right shape and measurements needed for the piece.  When all the pieces were cut out and were correctly measured and shaped, it was time to start attaching it to the box.  I did this using a technique called decoupage.  I used an adhesive called Mod Podge.  This is a liquid white glue.  I used a sponge applicator to apply the adhesive to the entire back side of each piece of paper.  Do one piece at a time.  Once the adhesive is on the paper, carefully place it on the box and smooth it down.  You will do this for all the pieces of paper and will need to let the box dry.  Then it is time to decorate your box.  

I made the name plate using Whisper White and Night of Navy card stock.  I added sticker letters to this for the words.  For the rest of the add on, I chose some really cute sticker sets I found at the craft store.  I could have made the decorations but these were so cute I decided to use them.  Let's take a look at the other sides of the box.  

 

Here is a look from the front.

 

This is the back side.

 

Here is one of the sides.

 

And here is the other side.

I carefully chose the stickers I wanted to use and applied them directly to the box.  For the ones that came with a dimensional on the back, I peeled the dimensional off and add Mod Podge to it so the entire piece would stick.  Once all the stickers were added and I was happy with the look, I used the sponge applicator once again to add another coat of Mod Podge over the paper and stickers to seal these down.  

 

What good would a recipe box be without some way to organize it.  So I made divider cards to go in the box.  I used various colors of card stock and made tabs using the retired label punch.  These are glued to the card stock.  I then used my label maker to add the headings to the tabs.  I know it is hard to see but I did add some food stamps to the dividers using VersaMark ink to make the designs.  

 

Finally I made about 150 recipe cards for her to use.  I happen to find this stamp a few years ago, where I cannot remember.  I stamped the cards with black ink and then added a little chef person (kind of reminds me of one of the Campbell's Soup kids) to the corner with red ink.  I bundled these together with a red ribbon and place them along with the dividers inside the box.  

I must tell you I think she loved it!!  I know it is something she can use for years to come and I hope it will always remind her of me and how much I love her.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you tomorrow.  

 

Pin A Rose .........

Hi everyone and happy Friday.  Thanks you for your understanding yesterday.  I took the day to get a few things done that I needed to and to just rest and relax.  This cold I have has been up and down this week and that coupled with other things just finally overwhelmed me.  I was able to regroup and get in some creative time to get my mojo going again.

On Wednesday I shared with you the step by step instructions on how to make a Stain Glass image.  I made a beautiful rose and told you I would let you see the project I used it on.  Let me start by sharing the finished rose with you once again.

Here is my beautiful rose.  To learn how to make this please visit my prior blog on Wednesday September 12, 2012.  All the steps are listed for you.

And here is the card I made using the rose.  I knew I was going to make this one to be a little larger than the standard card so I started by cutting a base card measuring 5 1/4" x 10 1/2", scored at 5 1/4".  That's right - it's a square.  I chose to use one of the new in-colors from this year called Summer Starfruit.  I added a layer of Elegant Eggplant to this using runner adhesive.  I cut this piece to measure 4 3/4" x 4 3/4".  Then it was time to make the frame.

To create my frame, I used a piece of shimmer white card stock.  I took a piece of this and punched out 2 11" strips using the retired lace ribbon border punch.  I really like the look of this border.  I cut the pieces to be 3 flowers across the top and bottom and 4 down each side.  I attached these to the acetate edges of the rose using my 2 way glue pen.  I then placed a rhinestone in the center of each flower all the way around the edges.

Finally I added a background for my rose.  The acetate cut for the rose measures 3" x 4" so I started by cutting another piece of Summer Starfruit card stock to measure the same.  I then took this and ran it through my big shot using the fancy fan impression folder.  I am beginning to think this is one of my favorites because I find myself using it more and more.  I took the impressed piece and sprayed it with my champagne shimmer spray and attached it the the acetate by placing a glue dot in each corner.  I knew these would be covered by the border and wanted a good strong adhesive to hold these together.  I then added runner adhesive to the back of the Summer Starfruit and added some glue with my 2 way glue pen to the edges of the lace border that extend over the side of the acetate.  I placed it on my card front and pressed down to be sure all areas adhered as I wanted.  

Once again I want to thank you for understanding about yesterday.  I am hoping to really relax some over the weekend and send this cold away.  My family and I are having a pizza party for my daughter Heather for her upcoming birthday and it should be a lot of fun.  

I wish you all a wonderful weekend.  I will return Monday with another share for you.  Thanks for stopping by today!!!!!!

Sorry No Share Today

Hi everyone.  I am sorry to say I do not have a share for you today.  I had an incident happen the other night that upset me tremendously and spent most of yesterday in tears. Sometime life throws things at us that we have a truly hard time coping with and this was one of several things that have happened lately.  How unprofessional of me to allow something to interfere with my creative process but I guess we all have a breaking point and I reached mine. I did work on a few things and should have something for you tomorrow.  I truly apologize for not getting something ready for today.  I hope you can understand.

I will be back tomorrow and hope you will come by to see what I have been able to come up with.  I promise to work hard and get something done.  See you all tomorrow.

A Different Type if Blog

Hi everyone!!  It's Wednesday!!!!  I cannot believe how fast this week is flying by.  I think my being down with a cold has made me lose track of time this week.  I also know I have a busy weekend ahead of me.  It seems to be rushing towards me.

For today, I decided I wanted to do a blog that is different than what I usually do.  As I was looking at some of my Stain Glass cards last night, I thought to myself it is one thing to write the instructions out for you to try to follow but it is another to see photos of the step by step process.  So I decided to take photos and show you how to do this technique step by step.  Are you ready to get started?  Let's go!!

 

To begin the stain glass process you will need to have a piece of acetate, StazOn ink and a stamp.  I cut my acetate to be the size of my stamp or a little bigger.  When you are selecting your stamp to use for this, you will want to to choose a stamp with open areas that can be filled.  Finally, I choose to use the StazOn  ink because it does not smear on the acetate and dries extremely quickly.

 

Once you have the 3 basic materials you are ready to begin.  Ink up your stamp and stamp the image onto the acetate.  Allow it to sit for a minute or two to make sure it's dry.  Grab a used drier sheet and rub the entire image with it.  This is to help the excess glitter to release from the areas where you do not want it.

 

Now you will want to grab a liquid glue that dries clear.  I have found the I like using one that goes on white because it is easy to see.  Add the glue to the area you want to add your darkest glitter to.  Now for my rose,  I chose only 2 colors - green for the stem and leaves and purple for the rose and bud.  Both of my colors are about the same in terms of darkness so I chose to start with the green.

Fill in all areas you will add your first color to so you will add all of it at once.

 

 

Here you can see where I dumped my glitter onto the areas with glue.  I always do this over a scrap piece of paper and then shake the excess off into a coffee filter.  I have found that the coffee filter makes it easy to pour the excess back into the glitter bottle so you will not waste much at all.  

 

 

Here is the image after all excess glitter has been removed.  Now you will repeat the process with your next color which in my case is the purple.  I added the glue to the rose and bud, shook on the glitter and shook off the excess into a coffee filter.  This was returned to the glitter bottle.

 

 

Here is my image after the purple glitter was added.  This side that you added the glitter to will be the back of the image.  It does take some time to dry so make sure your do your glittering early enough so you can let it dry completely before you add it to your project.  You can check the drying process as your day goes on and here's how:

 

 

This is the image from the front side of the rose.  I am holding it up in the photo since I cannot put the wet side down.  You can see that while the back sparkles with the glitter, the front simply shows the white glue.  As it dries, the image will slowly begin to show.  The glue will turn clear and the glitter will show through.

 

 

Here is my rose once it had dried completely.  As you can see, you will no longer have any white places on the image.  All you will see it the glitter.  The details from the stamp will show as I am sure you noticed in the completely wet image as well as this one.  

I hope I explained the technique and showed images that will benefit you.  If you are at all confused, feel free to ask for clarification.  I will be happy to help.  

Now that my beautiful rose is completed, I will use it on a card.  Hopefully I will have that to share with you for tomorrow.  I am so glad you came by today and I hope you learned something and will give this a try.  Let me know how your projects turn out.  I will see you all tomorrow!!

 

Halloween Kitty

Hi everyone.  Welcome to Tuesday.  I am so happy I am here to share with you today.  I wish I could say my cold is all better but it is not.  I am still coughing and everything else and am pretty run down.  To top all of that off, I have Vertigo and when I get a cold it tends to act up.  So I am dizzier than ever too.  I am ready for all this to go away, especially the dizzy part. 

The card I have to show you today is another technique I have been playing with lately.  I really wish I could remember the name of the demonstrator I saw do this technique but it is escaping my mind right now.  Anyway, let me show you the card and we will go from there.

 

I wanted to create a spooky type background and decided this would be a cool way to do it.  I started with a base card of Elegant Eggplant cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4"  I added a layer of Basic Black to this measuring 4" x 5 1/4" using runner adhesive.  I set this aside until I had the top layer made and ready to be attached.

The top layer of my card is actually a piece of glossy white card stock.  I used a piece of photo paper cut at 3 3/4" x 5" for mine.  Let me show you another part of the card and we will go over the technique I did when we get to the cat.

 

To make the bat, I used the retired bat punch and punched it out of Basic Black.  I added black glitter to it to make it sparkle.  It is attached to the card using runner adhesive after is was all colored.

 

Okay now for the coloring of the card front.   I started by stamping this cute kitty from Stampin' Up! called Frightening Feline.  I stamped it using a StazOn ink that is purple directly onto the photo paper.  Allow this to dry completely before continuing to prevent smearing.  I then took a post it note and punched a 2 1/2" circle out of it making sure I got as much of the sticky part as possible.  I then placed the circle over the cat to make the moon.  Then I took out my sponges and my Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant inks to make the background.  Start with the lightest color, Daffodil, and work from the circle out with your sponge to add the color.  Next go to the Wisteria only this time work from the outside perimeter of the card and pull the color in to meet the Daffodil.  Blend the edges of these colors together.  Finally, take the Eggplant and again work from the outside in just not as far in.  Blend the Eggplant and Wisteria together.  You will want to allow this to sit for a little while and dry before adding it to the card.  Peel off the post it note to reveal your moon.  You can add a little ink to this too if you want but I liked the look of it as it is.  I used runner adhesive to attach this to the card after the fence and grass were made and attached to it.

 

For the final part of the card, I wanted to add a fence.  To make this, I used the XL Bigz Rosette die and my big shot.  This is the die you use to make those cool flowers but this time it made me a fence.  I used a 2" x 11" strip and the side with the pointy tops and cut it out with the big shot.  I then cut the piece in half and saved one half to use on another card.  I slightly folded the crease line, not all the way since they will need to lay flat, but just enough so I could add some ink to the crease lines and top so the pieces look more realistic.  I used Soft Suede card stock for this piece and Soft Suede ink and my sponge to highlight the slats.  I attached this to the cards top layer before the layer was attached to the card using runner adhesive and trimmed off any excess that hung over the sides  For the grass, I used the bird builder punch and punched out several of the branches using Garden Green card stock.  I cut the tops off and added them to the fence using a glue pen.

I like the look of the sponged on background on this.  I am so glad I tried this and hope to try it again on another card.  Please stop by tomorrow and see what I have to share with you.  If my world keeps spinning it could be quite interesting.  We will just have to see what happens.  Thanks for stopping by today and I will see you all tomorrow!!

More Cupcakes

Happy Monday to you all!!  I hope everyone had a terrific weekend.  Unfortunately, I seem to have come down with a cold.  I can tell you I feel like the energy has been zapped right out of me.  Luckily I had a good start on a card for today and was able to finish it between my laying down to nap times.  So let's get started. 

 

I must have been in a purple mood when I sat down to make this one.  I really focused on just the purple family when putting together the color scheme for this one.  I started with a base card of Wisteria Wonder cut at 4 1/4" x 11", scored at 5 1/2".  I added a layer on top of this using Elegant Eggplant card stock.  I cut it to measure 4" x 5 1/4" and ran it through the big shot using the Fancy Fan impression folder.  I sprayed it with my champagne shimmer spray and attached it to the base card using runner adhesive.

 

To make the lovely cupcake you see, I started with my Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set which is retired.  I selected the large cupcake and stamped it onto acetate using StazOn ink.  I used the Stain Glass technique on this one too.  Again, you work on the side of the acetate you stamped the image on.  Use a liquid glue that will dry clear.  Apply your glue to an area you wish to add glitter to and then sprinkle the glitter onto it.  Shake off the excess glitter.  I always start with the darkest color and work to the lightest color.  A tip for helping with the static that always seems to be on the acetate is to use a used dryer sheet and rub over the stamped image before you start adding any glitter.  It helps the glitter to stick only to the glue and release from the other areas.  

The hardest part of this technique is waiting for it to dry.  Your image needs to be completely dry prior to adding it to your card.  Once dry, I added a piece of Wisteria Wonder to the be the background for it.  I attached the acetate, glitter side down to the Wisteria using a glue dot on each corner.  Next I took a piece of Whisper White and punched out a border strip using the dotted scallop ribbon border punch.  I cut it into pieces and attached them to each side of the cupcake using a liquid glue.  I added a small scallop flower from the itty bitty punch pack made from eggplant to each corner to cover the seams.  To finish it off, a rhinestone was added to the center of each flower.  The entire piece was attached to the card using runner adhesive.

 

The greeting for this one is from the stamp set called Create A Cupcake.  I stamped it using Elegant Eggplant ink onto Whisper White card stock.  I then punched it out using the large scallop punch.  Next I punched a scallop oval out of the Wisteria Wonder card stock and layered the large oval on top of it using runner adhesive.  It is attached to the card using dimensionals.

Well, I am off to make another card right now while I am inspired.  Then it will be time for a nap.  I will have a post for you tomorrow.  Please come by to see me then.  Thanks for stopping by today!!

A Halloween Birthday

It's Friday!!!!  Once again we find ourselves at the beginning of the weekend.  Well my internet whoas continue.  We had the nice little man come out and check all of our connections.  He found that everything was running superbly at our house but not at the neighbors.  So we contacted our neighbor and now must wait until the nice internet provider comes to fix his issue which should in turn fix ours.  The sad part of it is who knows when that will happen.  So until it does, I will just fight with the internet and if it takes 6 hours to get my blog typed then so be it.  I shall not allow it to defeat me!!!

Over the years, I have met several people who have a birthday on Halloween or just before it.  My sister in Florida celebrates her's the day before it.  So I decided to make a card for a birthday using some of my favorite Halloween colors.  Ready to see it?  Here we go!!

I started this card with a base of Pumpkin Pie card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  Next I added a layer of Basic Black which measures 4" x 5 1/4".  The Elegant Eggplant layer was cut to be 3 3/4" x 5".  Once cut I ran it through my big shot using the Lacy Brocade impression folder.  It was then sprayed with the champagne shimmer spray.  All layers were attached to the base using runner adhesive.

Next comes the cupcakes.  The stamp comes from the retired stamp set called Crazy for Cupcakes.  I stamped it using StazOn ink onto a piece of acetate.  Next I used a white glue that would dry clear and began to color my image. Fill in the image on the side of the acetate you stamped on.  You will be able to feel the ink lines. This is known as the stain glass technique.  You work from darkest to lightest glitter color to do this.  Before I begin, I like to wipe the image using a used dryer sheet.  This helps remove the static from the image so the glitter will not stick where you do not want it.  Fill in the areas you want to used your darkest glitter on with the glue.  Sprinkle the glitter over it and shake off the excess.  Then continue the process with your remaining glitter colors until all areas are filled in and glittered.  You will need to put this aside and allow it to dry completely.  You will know when it is dry because the glitter will show on the other side of the image which will face out instead of the glue.  To layer it onto the card, I took a piece of Pumpkin Pie card stock and cut it to be 3" x 4 1/4".  I used a corner punch I picked up at a local craft store and punched the corners.  I then ran it through the big shot using the same Lacy Brocade impression folder.  I attached the acetate to this by using my 2 way glue pen and added glue to the back of the corner punch areas.  I slipped the corners of the acetate under these and pressed down.  The glue will dry and your acetate will be adhered to the background.  I attached the entire piece to the card using glue dots on the corners and some runner adhesive in between.  Once attached, I added a black pearl to each corner.  

Last, I added my birthday greeting.  This comes from the stamp set Create A Cupcake.  I stamped it using Elegant Eggplant ink onto Whisper White card stock.  I punched it out using the word window.  The edges are colored using a sponge and my Pumpkin Pie ink.  The greeting was adhered to the card with dimensionals.

Well, that is all for today.  Thanks for your patience.  I will return Monday with another share for you.  Until then, have a safe and wonderful weekend!!  See you next week!!!!

Internet Nightmares Return

Welcome to Thursday everyone.  I certainly hope your day is going better than mine.  Once again I am sad to report that our internet is not working properly.  It has taken me 2 hours to be able to get on to type my blog and another 2 to get it to publish.  It is so frustrating.

We have once again called our network provider and complained.  This is going on 5 months of problems for us.  We really thought it was fixed the last time they came but while it worked for a while, it has now returned to not connecting more than it connects.  The little man is suppose to come again today and hopefully we will have it fixed.

I truly apologize for not having a card to share today.  I could not trust the internet to load any photos.  If the little man is able to fix it, I promise to return tomorrow with another card to share.  Cross your fingers that they fix it this time.  I am really tired of paying for a service I cannot use 95% of the time.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.  Hopefully I will see you all tomorrow!

Gingerbread and All That's Holiday

Welcome to Wednesday everyone.  I am so glad you are here to see the card I have made for you today.  Today I am going to share with you another fancy fold card.  I have made one of these before but for a different holiday.  So without further ado, let's get started.

For this card, I started with a base card of Cherry Cobbler.  I love the deep red of this color.  I think it complements Christmas very well.  It is cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  The only layer on this one is a piece of designer series paper from the pack called Be of Good Cheer.  This pack is available in the Stampin' Up! catalog.  I cut this piece to be 4" x 5 1/4".  I attached a piece of 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon across the dsp about 2/3's of the way down.  I used runner adhesive to attach the ends to the back of the dsp and attached the entire piece to the card using runner adhesive.  I added small dots of Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to the ribbon.

The cute little gingerbread men are from the stamp set called Scentsational Season.  I stamped these cut men using Soft Suede ink onto Whisper White card stock.  This stamp set is in the holiday catalog.  The wonderful thing about this set is there is a matching set of framelits called Holiday Collection.  You can actually purchase these in a bundle pack and save some money.  So once my men were stamped, I cut them out using the framelit and my big shot.  I attached the two on the sides with runner adhesive and the one in the center with a dimensional.  I then used my glitter glues and added all the decorations to them.  After all they had to look like they had been decorated.  

The greeting is from the retired stamp set called Four the Holidays.  I stamped it using Cherry Cobbler ink onto Whisper White card stock and cut it out free hand.  Next I used runner adhesive and layered it onto a scrap of Cherry Cobbler card stock and again cut it out free hand.  I attached this to the card on top of the ribbon using glue dots.  

Here is a photo of the inside of the card.  I chose to do a pop up stage card again.  I used the same dsp on the inside of the top and used Whisper White for the inside bottom half and the stage.  To make the pop up stage, I will once again send you to the tutorial provided by Splitcoaststamper.  Click here to go to the tutorial.  

The stamps for the cocoa, tree and candy cane are from the same Scentsational Season stamp set that the gingerbread man is from.  All of these were stamped on Whisper White card stock.  I used Garden Green and Soft Suede ink for the cocoa, Garden Green and Daffodil Delight for the tree and star, and finally Cherry Cobbler for the candy cane.  All were stamped and then cut out using the matching Holiday Collection framelits.  

The snowman is my own punch art creation.  I used my 3/4", 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches to make the body.  Of course I used Whisper White for this.  His nose is made with Tangerine Tango card stock and a prong from the retired small star punch.  For the eyes and buttons, I used a 1/8" circle punch and Basic Black card stock.  His arms are from the retired snowflake punch and are made using Soft Suede card stock.  All pieces of the snowman are adhered together using liquid glue.  

I hope you enjoyed this little pop up card.  I did added dazzling diamond glitter to the stage area to make it shimmer like snow.  I really like making these types of cards.  Yes they take time and patience but the final result is so adorable.  

Well that's it for today.  Please come by tomorrow to see what I have for you.  I look forward to your visit.  Thanks for stopping by today!!

Jackson's Baby Card

Happy Tuesday, Happy September and Happy Birthday to me!  Yes it's my birthday but we won't get into how old I am.  August seemed to fly by for me.  Now I have one month to get ready to decorate for Halloween!!  I am so excited.

Last week was not my niece's favorite week.  Baby Jackson was breech and she went in on Wednesday for a C-section only to be told he had flipped himself over and they were not going to do the C-section.  On Thursday, she went to the hospital to be induced.  By Friday afternoon, it was clear she was not going to dilate so they sent her home.  Finally on Saturday, she returned to the hospital in the afternoon and her labor was progressing.  Jackson made his grand entrance into the world on Sunday morning at 2:45 am.  He was a very healthy 8 pounds and 10 ounces.  And let me tell you, he is adorable!!  I got to go see him several times over the weekend and did deliver the card I had made for him.  Therefore, I can share that card with you now.

Ta Da!!!  I made a shaker card for him.  First though let's take care of the basics.  The base card for this one is Pool Party card stock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4".  Next I added a layer of Island Indigo card stock cut to measure 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  For the top layer, I wanted to use Whisper White card stock and dress it up.  I cut a piece to be 4" x 5 1/4".  Next I used my itty bitty punch pack circle, 1/2" circle and 3/4" circle punches to punch circles out of the Island Indigo and Pool Party card stocks.  I randomly scattered these on the front of the card and attached them with runner adhesive.  I then would layer a size smaller onto the first circle with runner adhesive.  Once they were attached, I ran it through my big shot using my medium polka dot impression folder.  Don't attach it to the card yet.   Now for the rattle.  

 I started my rattle by pulling out my retired stamp set called Something Sweet.  I stamped the rattles handle onto Whisper White card stock using Island Indigo ink.  I then cut it out and set it aside.  Next I took my 1 3/4" circle punch, lined it up in the center of the card making sure I went as far in as I wanted and punched a hole out of the white card layer.  I went from the top down to do this.  Once the hole was punched, I applied a small amount of adhesive around the hole on the back side using my 2 way glue pen.  I took one of the Sweet Treat Cups and inserted it into the hole from the back.

Before attaching it to the card, you have to fill it with whatever it is you want to use.  For mine, I used a foot, a star, and a circle punch and punched out the shapes from Pool Party, Whisper White and So Saffron.  I placed these inside the cut and peeled off the adhesive strip that is attached to the cup.  I applied runner adhesive to the rest of the white piece and carefully attached it to the base card.  Once it was securely attached, I took the rattle handle and attached it right up to the cup using glue dots.  I added a piece of 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon to the handle to complete the look.

For the greeting, I used a stamp from the set Curly Cute.  I stamped it on Whisper White card stock using Island Indigo ink.  I then cut it out free hand, layered it onto a piece of Pool Party card stock with runner adhesive and cut around it to add the back layer.  I attached the greeting to the card using dimensionals.  

Finally let's talk about the inside of the card.  I stamped the greeting using a stamp from the set A Word for You using Island Indigo ink on Whisper White.  I punched it out using the decorative label punch.  I brushed the edges with Pool Party ink and then created a border with the decorative label punch. 

Next I cut out the letters of Jackson's name using my big shot and the retired decorative strip Billboard.  I alternated the colors of Island Indigo and Pool Party for these.  I attached these using liquid glue onto Whisper White 1 1/4" squares.  I used my Cricut machine and the colored card stock and cut out 1 1/4" square frames to go around the letters.  I attached the frames with liquid glue and then attached the "blocks" using runner adhesive.  I then added Crystal Effects to the letters to make them glossy.  To finish them off, and the greeting, I added these cut little stickers I picked up at a local store.  They really match the Pool Party color well and look like water droplets.  

Since his nursery is decorated with owls, I had to add one to the inside.  I used the owl builder punch to make this cute little guy.  He is put together using liquid glue and attached to the inside of the card using runner adhesive.  

I will tell you that if you need to mail this type of card, you will want a padded envelope to do it in.  That way the cut does not get smashed in the mail.  Since I was going to be seeing my niece, I used a regular envelope.  It takes some maneuvering to get it inside but it will fit.  

Well, I am going to get ready to spend the day with my hubby just relaxing and then have my girls over for a while.  At this point in my life, all I really want for my birthday is to see my family.  So I guess I am getting the best present of all today.

I will return tomorrow with another card to share with you.  I wish you all a wonderful day.  Thanks for dropping by today!!